<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Buaxfell by Deviant_Donghun</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24026479">Buaxfell</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deviant_Donghun/pseuds/Deviant_Donghun'>Deviant_Donghun</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fantasy, Found Family, Gen, but I didn't even know I was queer when I wrote it, finding a name that fits, this thing is a really cute thing if you took the time to read it, this thing is full of so many queer tropes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:20:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,196</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24026479</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deviant_Donghun/pseuds/Deviant_Donghun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A girl finds herself in a strange forest surrounded by strangers with magic powers and no memories. They go on a quest to find her memories and figure out where she belongs.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Buaxfell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Day 1</p><p>When I woke up, I was in a forest. There were trees all around and I seemed to be lying on a cloak of some sort.</p><p>"Good, she's awake." Someone said.</p><p>I looked up to find probably seven of the most handsome men I have ever encountered. They were all dressed similarly: brown pants that looked funky and white, button down shirts. Their cloaks were all different colors as well: red, green, blue, brown, pale blue, yellow, and gray. Their hair matched their cloaks but in different shades.</p><p>The one with the brown cloak knelt next to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright now, miss?" I identified his voice as the one who told the others I was awake. </p><p>"I'm fine, but may I ask who you are?" </p><p>They all introduced themselves one by one but tagged something weird on the end.</p><p>"Kenna, fire." The red cloak said.</p><p>"Beryl, earth." This came from the green one. </p><p>"Ackerley, healing." The nice brown one. </p><p>"Caol, water." The dark blue.</p><p>"Akiro, light." The yellow one. </p><p>"Draven, shadow." The grey one. </p><p>"Vale, ice." This was reluctantly given by the light blue. </p><p>Ackerley took back over as he started to examine my arms. "Are you sure you're fine? You took a nasty tumble there."</p><p>"I can't remember anything after going to sleep last night and have no idea where I am. Other than that, my head hurts slightly."</p><p>His hands moved to gently run over my scalp, looking for a bump. "What are you doing?" I asked him.</p><p>"As I said earlier, I'm a healer. I can relieve the headache if you tell me where it is."</p><p>I was still very confused but went along with it. "It kinda starts from behind my ears and goes up to encase the front of my head."</p><p>He nodded as his long fingers reached behind my ears. Almost as soon as he started pressing, the pain went away. "How's that?" He asked before standing up and helping me to my feet.</p><p>"Much better, thank you." I looked down at the cloak that I was lying on and found that it was light blue, the same as the one who said his name was Vale.</p><p>"Nice!" He said when he saw my cloak. "Another ice!"</p><p>I looked at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't seem to know anything about this, could someone please explain."</p><p>The one with the red cloak, Kenna, stepped forward. "We," he gestured to himself and the six men around him and included me as well, "are wizards."</p><p>"I kind of got that. What I want to know is what a wizard <em> is </em>."</p><p>He nodded. "Well, a wizard would seem to be self explanatory, but I guess the nasty bump must have knocked all that out of your head. So, there are many different types of wizards. It is not specifically stated that different power marriage is forbidden, but it is strongly discouraged. It hasn't truly been tested but there are some that are not even thought of for obvious reasons. If, for example, a fire and water or ice wizard had a child, the child would either take on one power or would have potential for both.</p><p>"Sometimes, the child is able to choose which power they want, but those are times when both powers are the dominant ones. The child could be completely conflicted. Just the same, there are powers that could coexist peacefully such as earth and healing or water and ice. These powers are able to be used in harmony. On the side of that, the marriage could fall apart. The fire could be too hot headed while the ice could be too cold and shut off. A light wizard could be very bubbly and outgoing while a shadow is asocial and closed off. Does this help?"</p><p>I stared at him. "No." All that did was give me more questions to deal with, not that I was going to mention this to them.</p><p>Vale patted the older boy on the shoulder. "Let me try." Kenna nodded before moving back to rejoin the others.</p><p>"He explained more of the mixs, but what I think you're looking for is what a wizard is and how their powers work. Am I correct?"</p><p>I nodded, allowing him to continue. "When a wizard is born, it takes them about a year before their powers start to show. A mix may take a bit longer on account of the powers fighting for dominance. As the power becomes evident, small parts of the wizard's personality will appear as well. An earth will enjoy playing outside, a healing won't bruise easily since they will heal quickly, a water and ice will enjoy taking a bath. The way to tell a water from an ice is that the ice will prefer the colder water while the other will prefer warmer water. A light will always want a light on while a shadow will be very sensitive to light. A fire is the hardest to control while in the beginning stages. They will be cranky, like to stay in the kitchen or near the stove when the mother is cooking. As a result, most fires end up as bakers.</p><p>"The way a wizard works their powers is harder to tell than it is to demonstrate. Would you mind if we give you a show?"</p><p>I shook my head, signalling for them to go ahead. He at least explained how to identify a wizard if they don't have their cloak. Although, I wondered if the hair color had anything to do with the power or if they had just dyed it. Pulling a lock of my hair over my shoulder, I found that it was indeed a light blue, almost white. Looking at Vale's versus mine, his was darker with a few light highlights. I lowered myself back down onto what I guessed was my cloak while the seven men still set up. </p><p>They started first with the one introduced as Beryl, the earth wizard, walking into the middle of the clearing. The others were on one side while I was on the other. He knelt down and closed his eyes as he placed both his hands flat on the ground. After a few seconds, he raised them. The ground came with him, creating a small hill with a flat top. He walked off, leaving that there while Kenna, the fire wizard, walked up and pointed his finger at the mound. A large flame appeared on the top but didn't scorch the grass underneath. The one with the dark blue hair, Caol, came up next to him and put it out. He knelt on the ground just as Beryl had done, but when his hands came away, a large water bubble came with it. He directed it at the flame, allowing Kenna to walk back to the rest. Caol pulled more water from the ground and started playing with it, twisting it into intricate shapes. Vale came up next to him and froze the water. I watched in awe as the ice crystals quickly wrapped themselves around the water, freezing it solid yet still keeping it up in the air. </p><p>Kenna came back and melted the ice, allowing it to fall to the ground and get soaked up. All three men walked away, allowing three more to take their places. Akiro, the light wizard, held his hand in the sky as a ball of light began to grow in his palm. He allowed it to grow until it was the same size as his hand before Draven, the shadow wizard, grabbed his wrist. The ball of light seemed to sputter and shrink. Akiro grimaced as his face seemed to drain of color. The light almost looked as if it was being physically attacked, it squirmed and twisted as Akiro eventually fell to his knees. Draven immediately released him as Ackerley took over, putting his hand in Akiro's still outstretched one. Soon the color came back and he was able to stand back up with Ackerley's help. </p><p>I stood up, grabbing my cloak and throwing it on as I came towards them. It seemed to be muscle memory to clasp the cloak onto the ochre colored tunic that was over my brown tights. "That was amazing guys but what happened towards the end?" </p><p>Draven rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been working with my shadow powers since I was able to understand them, but I'm an orphan. I had no one to teach me how to use them so it's a bit unstable compared to the others. Also, since Akiro's and my powers are conflicting, we aren't the best when working together."</p><p>I nodded before turning to Akiro. "Are you alright?" I placed a worried hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"Yes, I'm alright, but could you remove your hand? It's cold."</p><p>"Sorry." I said as I took it off.</p><p>He gave me a bright, box smile. "It's fine. Ices seem to radiate a cold atmosphere and have a lower body temperature than others. It's another way to tell wizards apart. Fires have a high body temperature even in the winter, earths have a steady temperature, waters seem damp or the atmosphere will feel humid around them, lights glow in the dark slightly while shadows are able to see in the dark. Healings seem to be the same as earths but have more of a mothering instinct." </p><p>I tilted my head a little as I processed this new information. "So, fire wizards or fires, as Akiro called them, and ices are more likely to shed their cloaks, waters are going to be the one staring at the fountain in the center of town, earths are going to be interested in pottery or gardening, shadows are going to look like vampires while lights are going to have a very hyper personality? What I'm getting out of this is the healings are the normal ones but also good listeners."</p><p>They all smiled at me, minus Kenna who just stood there. "That's right. Are you remembering things now, miss...?" Draven stumbled over not knowing my name. As our conversation continued, they somehow managed to herd me down the road. </p><p>"Sorry, I was just repeating what I had gotten out of the things you guys are telling me. As to my name, I don't know."</p><p>Beryl started jumping around. "Oh, oh, oh, oh! Can we name her! Please?" He did puppy eyes and clasped his hands directly below his puffed out lower lip. His head swiveled between Draven, who seemed to be the leader and Ackerley, seemingly the eldest. "Pretty pleeeeeaaaaase?"</p><p>Ackerley looked at me. "Would that be alright if we give you at least a nickname? Something to call you besides just 'the girl'."</p><p>I nodded. "That's fine by me."</p><p>Each of the boys began spitting out names, only to be shot down by Ackerley and Vale. </p><p>"Keara."</p><p>"That's a shadow name, Draven. No."</p><p>"Serafina. She could be Sere for short."</p><p>"Kenna, that's a fire name, not an ice. Denied."</p><p>"Afra!"</p><p>"One, we're looking for <em> ice </em> names and that's an <em> earth </em> name. Two, calm down, please, Beryl."</p><p>"Jora is a nice name. 'Autumn rain'."</p><p>Ackerley looked at Vale. The younger male got the message and hit the back of Caol's head. "That's close, but you need to freeze that." He said.</p><p>"Asia! Please, pick Asia!" Akiro hopped around, causing me to laugh.</p><p>Vale, however, was not amused. "No."</p><p>"Anahita."</p><p>"Caol." Draven looked at him.</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"You got no jams. Be quiet." Caol pouted but obliged.</p><p>"Kalama."</p><p>"No, Kenna, try again."</p><p>"Nara. That's an ice name." Caol looked at the eldest with hope in his eyes.</p><p>Ackerley, in turn, looked at me. "What do you think? Do you seem like a Nara?"</p><p>I gently shook my head. "Sorry, but no."</p><p>"Come on guys, let’s keep trying."</p><p>"Why don't <em> you </em> try one Vale." Akiro sassed at him.</p><p>"I will. Once you guys are out of options."</p><p>"Levina."</p><p>"That's another light,Akiro."</p><p>"Koral."</p><p>“Denied!” The rest called.</p><p>I walked over to pat his shoulder. "Good try, but it doesn't fit me much." I said in an attempt to cheer him.</p><p>Ackerley snapped his fingers. "Eleanor!"</p><p>I shook my head again. "It just doesn't seem to fit. Sorry."</p><p>Kenna looked at me. "People can sense if a name is theirs. Don't apologize because it's not your name. Simply accept it and move on." </p><p>I smiled. "Thanks."</p><p>"Ainsley." </p><p>"Try again, Akiro."</p><p>"Ryo."</p><p>"Kenna, isn't that your sister's name?"</p><p>"I thought it sounded familiar. Oh, well."</p><p>"Levana, I'm quite sure it's an ice name."</p><p>"It's a nice name, but no."</p><p>"Kaia?"</p><p>"Nope, sorry, Beryl."</p><p>"Neci. That's a cool name."</p><p>"That's a fire name. There's nothing cool about it."</p><p>"Kimana, meaning butterfly. If you shoot this down, it becomes her nickname. Deal with it." Beryl put one hand on his hip as the other pointed a finger between the eldest and youngest.</p><p>The two boys looked at each other before focusing their gazes back on Beryl. "Nickname, yes." Ackerley said.</p><p>"Real name, no." Vale finished.</p><p>"Blake."</p><p>"Draven, that seems like a boy's name. No."</p><p>"Alright, Leila. 'Dark beauty'."</p><p>"Once again, we're looking for <em> ice </em> names. Stop giving us <em> shadows </em>."</p><p>"Akiko." </p><p>"N to the O, Akiro."</p><p>"Fiona." </p><p>"She doesn't look it."</p><p>"Elvira!"</p><p>"Icess!"</p><p>Vale looked up from the road when Beryl and Kenna called the names out at once. "What about, Miyuki?" He said.</p><p>Ackerley looked at me. "All three are good names. Which one?"</p><p>I pondered it for a few minutes, watching my feet as we traveled on the dirt road. "What do they mean?"</p><p>Ackerley looked at me with a gaze that held a tint of pride in it, almost as if he was proud of me. "'Elvira' means 'white', Icess is a good ice name, and 'Miyuki' means 'snow'. Does that help at all?"</p><p>I looked at Vale. "I quite like Elvira. Although, I don't know how to actually use my powers. Could you teach me? Or at least give me a quick refresher course?" </p><p>He nodded. "Sure, Elvira." I smiled at my new name, Elvira, as well as my nickname, Kimana. It just felt <em> right </em> when they called me those. </p><p>Our whole group pulled off to the side of the road, the six others quickly forming a circle around us. Vale unclasped his cloak, allowing it to slide down his lean frame and unhinder his movements. Gesturing for me to do the same, he stepped to the center of the circle. I followed and mimicked his stance. </p><p>"Lesson one," he said, "you must let the cold embrace you. This is why we moved to the shade of the forest, also there is more dew here. Lesson two, you must have water near you, it helps. Hence, the dew."</p><p>I nodded. "That kind of seems obvious." I replied.</p><p>He chuckled. "You would be surprised. Moving on to lesson three, kneel down and put your hand flat to the ground, just as you saw Beryl and Caol doing."</p><p>I followed his instructions. "You need to reach down with your mind and try to find the water. Since your purpose is to freeze it once it comes up, the water may not want to come. Once you find it, call it to you. You must pull hard."</p><p>I looked at him. He had knelt next to me on one knee versus my both knees. "How do I do that?"</p><p>"Look inside yourself. Feel the inner wizard in the back of your mind. She is telling you what to do."</p><p>"Wait. Inner wizard? Like an inner wolf on a werewolf?"</p><p>"No. More like, the wizard instincts that you are born with. You will unconsciously know what to do. Try it."</p><p>I closed my eyes, blocking out all distractions that come with having seven gorgeous men in front of you. Searching my brain, I attempted to locate the 'inner wizard' he had been talking about. Sure enough, the knowledge was there. I used it to do as he had said, search for water. Ironically, there was a huge cluster right under Caol. I tried to get a bit of it, but heard the boys laughing. Opening my eyes, I made a very big mistake.</p><p>I had drawn more water than I should have and it ended up coming as a fountain and lifting the water wizard into the air. "I'm so sorry!" I said as I tried to pull the water towards me. Again, it was too hard and took Caol with it. </p><p>Luckily, he was able to take control of it and stop it. Vale created an ice slide out of it, allowing the boy to get down. Vale came towards me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't feel too bad. It's hard for the first timer."</p><p>Kenna snorted. "Says the one who was able to make an ice <em> sculpture </em> on his first try. You know, a skill only someone who had trained and honed their power for at least fifteen years could accomplish."</p><p>"When did he do this?" I asked as I stood up and retrieved my cloak. </p><p>"When he was ten or eleven." Beryl replied.</p><p>"Wahh." I exclaimed, trying to clasp my cloak. My fingers kept fumbling with the latch and I couldn't do it properly. </p><p>Just as I was about to give up, Vale came and clasped it for me. "You need to give your fingers a bit of time after using your powers. For an ice, they will feel frozen. You also need to put this back on as soon as you can. Ices cloaks are specially designed to insulate them and keep them at a temperature that they won't freeze but will still be able to work their magic. The cloak is a critical part of any wizards trade."</p><p>"Noted." I said as he stepped away. We all continued on our path. "Where are we heading?" I asked.</p><p>"We," Akiro said mysteriously, "are going to the city of Tueneraza."</p><p>"What the heck is that?" I asked, completely confused.</p><p>"It's the capital city." Draven answered.</p><p>"So, are there any other types of wizards besides the seven presented here? Also, are there any normal people who are not wizards?" I gestured to the seven boys with me.</p><p>"Yes, there are a few more." Beryl responded. "There are the animals and the winds, close cousins of mine. There are also the metals, but they are rare. As for the second, no, everyone has powers."</p><p>"Then why are they called wizards and not simply by their powers?"</p><p>"If you notice, we had introduced ourselves only by our powers. We call us wizards to distinguish between the element and the person. For example, if you asked me 'could you get me water?' and I brought over Caol instead of an actual glass of water."</p><p>"Interesting. Are there any special ones that resulted from mixes?" </p><p>"Like what?" Draven asked. </p><p>"Like, clouds. Would there be wizards with that power? If so, would they come from a mix of water and light? Are there any wizards besides the animals that can talk to the creatures?" </p><p>"Interesting questions." Kenna took over. "To answer them, not that we know of. However, there are still places that we have no idea what lives there."</p><p>"Cool." I said.</p><p>"I'm fire. I'm not cool. The term you are looking for in reference to me is swaeg." He leaned back slightly while curling down his ring and pinky fingers. </p><p>I laughed. "Okay, swaeg boy." </p><p>After a few hours more of walking, bickering, and bantering, we crested a hill and met one of the most awe-inspiring sights I had ever seen. The city lay in front of us in all of its glory. I saw a flash of light and looked to see a section of the city release a bright pulsing light. The boys, especially Akiro, seemed to get excited at this. They began to run, Vale dragging me along.</p><p>"Come on, Elvira! They're waiting for us!"</p><p>"Who and why?" I shouted as I ran with them. </p><p>Akiro grabbed my other hand. "My family!" He said, not answering the second half of my question.</p><p>We got there in no time and the gate opened for us. Akiro left us to run ahead and embrace an older couple with cloaks the same color as his, just a bit darker, standing outside what I guessed to be his home. The rest, including me, slowed down and approached them on a walk. We could hear Akiro shouting that he had missed his parents and siblings, making me wonder how long they had been separated. </p><p>"Guys, come on!" He said. We were obviously taking too long since he came over and grabbed two random hands, pulling Beryl and Ackerley along. "Mom, Dad, these are Ackerley and Beryl." He ran back for two more random hands, this time latching onto Draven and Vale, the latter dragging me with him. </p><p>"These are Draven and Vale. The girl is a new friend we found today. We named her Elvira." He ran back for Kenna and Caol, leaving it a bit awkward with us. </p><p>"These are the last of them. Kenna and Caol." He seemed like a child bringing his friend to meet his parents. </p><p>"They all look very nice, Akiro dear." His mother said.</p><p>"What do you mean by 'named her'?" His father asked, crossing his arms.</p><p>"Oh! We found her in the woods. We had heard a giant THUD!  and thought that we should investigate. So we walked and found a tree branch right next to her." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders but quickly pulled away due to the cold radiating off of me in waves. "Ackerley healed her of a nasty bump on her head and bruises all along the side that she fell on. When she woke up, she didn't know who or where she was. So, we named her and asked if she wanted to come with us. Now we're here!" </p><p>His parents looked at me. "What did you say they called you, miss?" His mother asked.</p><p>"We had decided on Elvira, Ma'am."</p><p>Beryl walked sideways until he was next to me. "I call her Kimana because I like that name."</p><p>"Isn't it an earths name though?" Akiro's father asked.</p><p>"Yes, but it works for her." </p><p>"Well, let's go inside. We're leaving tomorrow anyways." Akiro herded everyone into the house. </p><p>"What do you mean?" I asked.</p><p>"We only came to this part since my parents want to meet with me at least once a month. Otherwise, I do my own thing."</p><p>"Okay. Where next?"</p><p>"Next, we're going to the ices' district. There, we can see if we can find your family." Draven said as he took off his cloak. Most of the others followed, but Vale and Kenna left theirs on. </p><p>"Is there a reason why you didn't take your cloak off?" I asked Kenna, knowing Vale's reason and deciding to keep mine on as well.</p><p>"Just like yours will warm you up, mine will cool me down. Especially in the presence of ices like you and Vale. It basically steals the cold you radiate. I could just stand next to you with both of us having our cloaks off, but that could hurt you since I radiate a temperature higher than what your cloak uses to keep you at your perfect temperature."</p><p>"Ah." I nodded and followed the rest.</p><p>"We'll stay for the night before moving out in the morn. It's too dark to travel right now, especially in the city with a lady with us." Draven said as we all came into what looked like the living room.</p><p>The room had pale yellow walls, not too sickly looking, not too bright, just enough to create a calming effect. The fireplace had a lit log in it, which Kenna gravitated to like a moth to a candle flame. He sat by it and looked at home. Akiro sprawled out on a soft-looking, brown chair. Draven was standing in front of the fire and to Kenna's left, allowing the red head to still see the whole room. Ackerley sat on the floor, leaning against Beryl's leg, who was sitting in a matching chair to Akiro's. Caol, Vale and I sat on a bench pushed against the wall. Akiro's parents were nowhere in sight.</p><p>We all nodded in acceptance of Draven's statement of staying. Akiro seemed glad. "Sleepover!" He shouted, pumping a fist into the air and letting off a bright flash.</p><p>Draven groaned at the light in his sensitive eyes while the rest of us laughed.</p><p>"Yay!" Caol said, equally as enthusiastically.</p><p>Vale jumped up from his position next to him. "You leaked!" He said.</p><p>"What!" Caol screeched. "I did?!" His enthusiasm quickly turned into alarm. </p><p>"Yes!"</p><p>"Where?!"</p><p>"Right there!" Vale pointed at a spot on the bench and froze it.</p><p>"Ah!" Caol cried out, not liking the cold.</p><p>"Boys!" Ackerley's voice rose above the ruckus. "Vale, defrost Caol right now!"</p><p>Vale looked at Ackerley with a clearly fake innocent face. "Sorry. I only know how to <em> freeze, </em> not <em> un </em>freeze."</p><p>Ackerley sighed. "Kenna! Defrost the poor thing so he can shut up."</p><p>I clapped and pointed at him as Kenna came to do as he was told. "Savage Ackerley! I like this!" </p><p>"Ouch!" Caol's voice whined it's way back into my focus.</p><p>"Not sorry." Kenna shrugged before walking off, Caol now rubbing his burnt bottom.</p><p>"Vale!" He yelled. "I'm going to kill you!" </p><p>Vale stuck his tongue out at the older boy before running off, Caol hot on his trail. I took this opportunity to lie down on the bench, now that the water was gone. I had no idea what would happen if I had tried to freeze that water. It might have caused bigger damage. </p><p>"Hey, Kimana." Beryl came to sit on the floor a few feet away from my head. Looking at his previous seat, it was now occupied by a tired and dozing Ackerley. </p><p>"Hi, Beryl." I said as I looked back at him. "Did you need something?"</p><p>"No, I just wanted to see how you were holding up."</p><p>"Please, rephrase and expound on that." I asked.</p><p>He chuckled. "You fell out of a tree from probably a long way up, poor tree; failed at correctly using your power when, at your age, you should have at least gotten it under control; had to deal with seven noisy five year old brains stuck within the bodies of grown men; and just had three people scream in your ear. How are you not sleeping like him?" He gestured to Ackerley.</p><p>I smiled. "My stomach was waiting for food." </p><p>He nodded. "Understandable since we found you after lunch. Akiro's mom should finish dinner soon. He says that she normally has it done around the time he gets home."</p><p>As if she had been summoned, Akiro's mother stood in a doorway that I assumed led to the kitchen, where that heavenly smell was coming from. "Dinner's ready for whoever wants it." She said. </p><p>Akiro jumped up and ran over, giving her a bear hug. "Thanks, Mom." He said before passing her.</p><p>The others and I, minus Caol and Vale, quickly followed suit, giving her a brief bow on the way past. My bow went a bit deeper than the rest as I knew that she wasn't expecting me. Soon, a loud thunk was heard. We all looked up from the bowls of delicious stew to find Caol pinned under Vale.</p><p>"Hi, guys." He said awkwardly before the younger allowed him to get out of what looked to be some sort of wrestling hold. We all laughed at how stupid they looked before turning back to our dinner, Akiro pointing out where to get their portions. </p><p>Once we all finished eating, Akiro took us up to his room. He allowed the boys to crash on his massive bed and clean floor before taking me to the guest room close by. "Thanks again, Akiro." I said, standing in the doorway of what was to be my room for the night.</p><p>He gave me his box smile. "It's no problem. I only met you a few hours ago, but you seem like my sister already. Please, just call me Akiro from now on, alright, Sis?"</p><p>I giggled. "Alright. Goodnight, Akiro." </p><p>He threw a "Night, Sis." Over his shoulder before closing the door to his and the six others' room. </p><p>A few minutes after I had closed the door, a knock was heard on it. I opened it, thinking it was one of the boys. It turned out to be Akiro’s mother, who gave me a bright smile. "Hello, dear. Akiro told me that you didn't have any night clothes, so I brought you this." She handed me the bundle in her arms. "It was his older sister's before she grew out of it. She's now married happily so you can have the gown if you want."</p><p>"Thank you so much, Ma'am, but where will I store it?"</p><p>"Your cloak has pockets that can hold almost anything that can fit through the opening. As long as it's not full, the gown should fit in it."</p><p>"Thanks again. Goodnight, Ma'am."</p><p>"Goodnight, dear. Sweet sleep."</p><p>I closed the door and set the gown on the bed before looking about the room. It was a good sized bedroom, with a window that had the curtains drawn, blocking out the city sound while still allowing light to see by. Whipping off my cloak, I set it on the bed and found the pocket Akiro’s mother was talking about. Looking at the other side, there was another pocket in the same spot. I stuck my hand into one and patted around, trying to see if I could find anything to tell me who I was. I came out with a beautiful silver necklace that had Elvira written on the snowflake shaped locket. </p><p>"I guess it actually <em> is </em> my name." I muttered as I clasped it around my neck. </p><p>Digging further, I couldn't find anything else in that pocket. I moved to the other and came up with a strange whitish root thing. I put it back, intending to talk to Ackerley or Beryl about it tomorrow. Changing quickly, I climbed into the warm bed. It felt a bit suffocating, so I carefully folded the blanket down to the bottom of my bed, making sure that my cloak was off to the side and hanging on the back of the chair. </p><p>Day 2.</p><p>The next day, the sun shone beautifully through the guest room window. I got up, feeling refreshed and awake. Bouncing out of the still cold bed I made my way over to the chair I had laid my cloak on. I quickly pulled out yesterday's clothes from the pocket I had shoved them in before bed. Surprisingly, they were clean and ready to be worn. Even the few holes it had gotten from the fall were patched. I changed into them, carefully folding the night gown and putting it in the same pocket. It felt good to feel the cool metal of my necklace against my skin. </p><p>When I got downstairs, the boys were already at the table, halfway through their breakfast. "Good morning." I muttered as I served myself.</p><p>"Morning, Kimana." Beryl greeted me as I sat down next to him. The others quickly greeted me. </p><p>"Eat up, Elvira." Draven said. "We have a ways to go today. The city is vast and the ices live on the opposite side from the lights."</p><p>"Can't we just hire transportation?" Ackerley asked.</p><p>"No. The reason: everyone turn out their pockets."</p><p>Doing as Draven told us, we all emptied them out. I was shocked at what the youngest three had in theirs. "How the heck did you manage to fit a <em> rock </em> in your pocket, Akiro. Follow-up question, <em> why </em> do you have the rock in the first place?" I asked, incredulous.</p><p>Caol held out his hand. "You don't want to know." He warned.</p><p>"What's with <em> your </em>rock, Caol?" </p><p>"<em> Mine </em> is useful, <em> his </em> is not."</p><p>"How so?"</p><p><em> " </em>Mine is what is called a wind stone. It can call wind and tell which direction it's coming from. There are such things as paired wind stones, which means that in addition to doing the actions already mentioned, it also knows where the other is. His, on the other hand, is just stone wind. It allows you to use wind as a messenger and hear wind in the rock. It's about as useful as a conch shell at the beach."</p><p>Akiro hit Caol's arm. "Not fair. My message might save a life one day." Seeing my confused expression, he continued. "Stone wind is only good for one message per stone. So, best make it count."</p><p>Looking at the others, Kenna also had a rock, but it seemed to be flint. Beryl had a small jar of dirt, Ackerley had herbs and bandages, Vale had a few coins in a small bag, and Draven had a rock that looked like a cross between Caol's and Akiro's only grey.</p><p>"What's the story behind <em> your </em> rock, Draven?" I asked, my curiosity taking over.</p><p>Yoingi looked at me. "What are we doing, comparing rocks now?" He asked with sarcasm dripping from his voice.</p><p>Draven held up a hand. "It's fine, Kenna. My rock, as you so elegantly put it, Elvira, is called a shadow stone. It helps control my wayward shadow powers if I really need it. I try not to rely on it, but sometimes I have to use it. What do you have?" </p><p>I pulled out the root I had found last night. "I was only told about the cloak pockets last night by Akiro’s mother. I found this root-like thing and this necklace." I took it off and passed it around, putting it back on when it got back to me.</p><p>"May I see the root?" Beryl asked.</p><p>I nodded and handed it over. Since Ackerley was sitting next to him, they both examined it. "This is rare, Kimana." Beryl said as he gently passed it back. </p><p>"What is it exactly?" I put it back in the pocket as the others put their things back as well. </p><p>"It's a snow root." Ackerley said.</p><p>Vale perked up. "A snow root?! Don't tell me it's an actual <em> snow root </em>!" He leaned across the table to me. "May I see it?"</p><p>I pulled it back out. "Only if you calm down, alright?"</p><p>He nodded and I handed it over. He gingerly turned it over in his hands, as if he held a precious artifact. He let out a low whistle while looking at the whitish root. "Awesome." He whispered.</p><p>"What's so cool about a root?" I asked, slightly annoyed.</p><p>He looked at me. "This isn't just any ordinary root. This snow root comes from one of the deepest forests known to us. Very few who have ventured into it make it out alive, especially with something like this. If ground up, even a little bit will help control an ices powers, much like Draven's shadow stone. If we use just a little bit now, we can start to get that power of yours under control. We wouldn't even need that much of the root. Is that alright with you?"</p><p>I smiled. "It's more than alright. Thank you, Vale."</p><p>Draven cleared his throat, calling our attention back to him. "As you can see, really only Vale has money that we can use for transport, but it's not enough and we'll need it for lodging later." He said.</p><p>I furrowed my brows. "Can't we try to use Caol's wind stone thing?"</p><p>Caol sighed. "It can only call a breeze. You really need a wind wizard to enhance the power or get a bigger stone. Mine was a gift from an honorary uncle who was one. He tried to put as much power in it as he could but, it was on his death bed and he wasn't that strong."</p><p>"Wonderful!" Kenna exclaimed sarcastically. "We're stuck with walking. In the mud. With <em> those </em>four." </p><p>He was referring to Vale, Akiro, Caol, and Beryl, who were currently goofing off. </p><p>"What's so bad about that?" I asked.</p><p>He heaved a deep sigh. "Everything. They're loud, annoying, never stay to the path, always going off on side trails, and never stay out of trouble that <em> we </em> have to rescue them from." He gestured to himself, Draven, and Ackerley.</p><p>"Well, now you have me."</p><p>"That has yet to be decided if you're an asset or a hindrance." He muttered. Soon after, he stood up, sweeping his legs over the bench and walking away after putting his plate away. </p><p>"What's <em> his </em> problem?" I muttered as I finished up.</p><p>"Don't mind him, Elvira, he'll warm up to you eventually. Let's go to the yard." I looked up to find Vale standing next to me, holding his hand out to help me over the bench.</p><p>I accepted his hand, allowing him to lead me. He didn't let go of my hand as he led me through the house and to the backyard. Once there, he grabbed a stick and drew a large circle that was more or less closer to an oval. "Is that supposed to be a circle?" I asked with a bit of a giggle in my voice.</p><p>He glared at me. "Shut up." He completed the ovalish circle and stood up from his crouched position. It had been fun to see him duck walk around while drawing whatever it was that he drew. </p><p>"Nice, an oval. What do we do with it?" I asked.</p><p>"Were you born sarcastic or have you been spending too much time with Kenna?"</p><p>"It seems to come naturally, if that answers your question. Now, what to do with the oval."</p><p>"It's a <em> circle. </em>" He hissed at me as he removed his cloak. "Now, give me the root."</p><p>I grabbed it from the pocket and handed it over before discarding my own cloak. The warm sun shining down felt suffocating yet slightly pleasing but I immediately wished for the cold that comes with the cloak. It felt like I was going to burn to a crisp at any second. "Can we just start?"</p><p>My voice startled him out of his thoughts. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure." He looked around for a second before pointing at a pump in the corner of the yard. "There should be a tin cup by that. Fill it with water and bring it here, please."</p><p>I did as I was told, excitement buzzing through my nerves as I wondered if I might actually be able to control my powers today. I brought the cup back to see that he had finished with the root. There were three small shavings sitting in the palm of his hand. I finally noticed the hunting knife he carried at his belt as he put it away. Handing him the cup, my hand shook slightly as I thought about the last time I had tried to control ice.</p><p>"Calm down, Elvira. It's going to be fine." He said as he dropped the shavings into the cup. They dissolved almost instantly and the water remained clear. "Drink it." He said, handing it back. </p><p>I took it and threw it back like a shot of whiskey. It was cold and had a tang to it while giving an invigorating feeling. I was more awake than I had been and felt ready to take on anything. In short, it was like an instant sugar high. I was high as high can be. </p><p>I stood still, tilting my head to the side as I stared the water pump down. The water from the trough below the pump lifted slightly before freezing into a hailstone the size of a child's ball. It then started bouncing around the backyard, heading straight for Vale's head. </p><p>"DUCK!" I shouted, dropping to the ground.</p><p>"What the heck!" He called as he followed my directions, the ice flying over his head. It came to a stop when it hit the back of the house, resulting in a giant THUD that the occupants most likely heard.</p><p>Meanwhile, Vale was stalking towards my prone figure, still not moving from my position on the ground. "What on <em> earth </em> was that?" He asked with his hands balled into fists by his side.</p><p>"A big ice ball?" I said, my eyes widening slightly.</p><p>He glared back at me. "What did you do? I didn't tell you to do anything yet."</p><p>"I looked at it."</p><p>"Very funny. What really happened?"</p><p>I stood up with a bit of effort. "It's true. I just stared at it like this-" I moved to repeat my actions but his hand went in front of my eyes.</p><p>"Do <em> not </em> demonstrate! One dent in the house is enough."</p><p>"I dented it?!" My eyes widened as I stared at the house. "I didn't mean to!" </p><p>The door banged open and the rest of the group, plus Akiro's parents, came out, Ackerley in the lead. "What happened?" He called. "Is everything alright? Are you two hurt anywhere?" He ran to us, cloak billowing behind him. </p><p>Vale spoke without taking his eyes off me. "We're fine. I can't say the same for the house however."</p><p>I glared up at the giant man. "I said it was an accident!" </p><p>Ackerley went in between us, checking for cuts. "You're <em> positive </em> you're fine?" He clearly didn't believe him.</p><p>I pushed his hands away. "Yes, mother, I'm fine." </p><p>He put his hands on his hips. "I get enough sass from Vale and Kenna, I do not need it from you, young lady."</p><p>I lowered my head. "Yes, sir." I then raised it. "It technically wasn't my fault."</p><p>Vale threw his hands up. "How could it not be your fault?! I told you to drink the mixture, not to take it like a shot of beer before blowing a hole in the wall!"</p><p>"You should have been clearer in the instructions! You also left me alone after telling me, allowing me to do it. Therefore, it is basically <em> your </em> fault." I smiled, a smug expression clear on my face.</p><p>Vale spluttered. "This girl is impossible!"</p><p>"Then why do you try?" Beryl asked. Peering around Vale and Ackerley, I saw that he was almost finished with fixing the wall. </p><p>I walked past the others, moving to stand at his side. "Cool. I didn't think you could do that."</p><p>He chuckled, eyes never leaving the wall. "Think about the contents of the wall. It's just dirt, clay, and water. Basically, I can manipulate the dirt and clay back into place with Caol helping after I'm done. With that knowledge, what do think Caol will do?"</p><p>I thought about it briefly before responding. "He could gently place water on the wall, causing it to be sucked up by the clay and dirt and go back to being a wall, but that would result in a wet wall that wouldn't be able to hold the roof. He could also use the existing water that was in the wall to rebuild it."</p><p>Caol's voice came from behind me. "Very good, Elvira. That's logical thinking, so we at least know that that part of your brain wasn't damaged from your fall."</p><p>"Unlike your magic!" Vale shouted.</p><p>I glared back at him. "I told you what happened, you didn't want to believe me. You now have no room to talk. Shut it." I stormed over to my cloak, angry fingers taking a few tries to clasp it before I turned to Draven. "When do we leave?"</p><p>"As soon as they finish the wall." He said.</p><p>Kenna came over to me. "You have quite the temper for an ice, you do realize that, right?"</p><p>I shrugged him off, trying to block out distractions. Reaching into my inner being, I tried to reconcile with myself on why I can't use my magic properly, how I got here, who I truly am. I looked deep inside myself and found something that I couldn't quite recognise. It felt like a string that was calling me to pull it. When I did, it dragged me deeper into myself,to a place I didn't even know existed. Looking around, it was like nothing and everything I had seen before. I realized that it was where my memories were kept. Unfortunately, most of them were behind a stone wall that I couldn't get through. The majority of the ones I <em> could </em> get to were of the boys and me. A few shocked me, not just for being so out of place, but also for being about ten portal looking things on a wall that could fit hundreds. The rest must have been behind the wall.</p><p>I stepped towards them, first one, then another until I was directly in front of them. Reaching out, I touched the center one closest to me. Instantly, I was dragged through the portal to a place I didn't recognise.</p><p>✽✽</p><p>Kenna watched as Elvira shrugged off his help, closing her eyes and standing as still as can be. What seemed a few seconds later, she took a step forward, then another. He followed, unsure what was going on. Ten steps later, she collapsed, Kenna rushing forward to catch her before she injured her head even more. A small part of him wondered if hurting her head again would reverse the memory loss. </p><p>"Ackerley!" He called out.</p><p>Just as Kenna knew, Ackerley was by his side in a second, dramatically sliding a few feet away on his knees until he was next to the slightly younger male. "What's wrong with her?" He asked.</p><p>Kenna deadpanned at him. "I don't know, how about the healer take a look at her?" He asked sarcastically.</p><p>"Alright, alright." Ackerley said before examining her. "She had said she was fine but I shouldn't have trusted her." He muttered as he ran his graceful fingers over her scalp.</p><p>After a while he sat back on his heels, turning pitiful eyes to Kenna. "I can't find anything wrong with her. Maybe she's just lost in her mind?" </p><p>"She <em> collapsed </em>. How can that be 'lost in her mind.'"</p><p>"I've heard of this." He muttered. "People with a high brain capacity can actually delve inside their own brain, sometimes going in there for days. Our only choice is to take her with us until she recovers, which could take a few hours or a few days. We won't know until she wakes up."</p><p>Kenna sighed, preparing to carry her across the city. "Alright."</p><p>✽✽</p><p>When I came back to my senses, I looked around. I seemed to be some sort of ghostly figure. The weird thing was, my cloak was red, not light blue. Tugging on my hair, it was a very light red, almost strawberry with streaks of the previous light blue. I looked at my surroundings again and saw what seemed to be a younger version of the red me playing with my parents. They both had their cloaks off while I didn't have one yet. Looking at their hair, my dad's red while my mom's was the same light blue that I have. It would explain the ice name I have, why I have a hard time controlling my magic, and why I have a very short temper. </p><p>"I'm an ice <em> and </em> fire. That's why I get along with Vale and Kenna so well, because I have bits of both my parents personalities." I mumbled beneath my breath. "The ice must have been the dominant gene while the fire is the dormant. Or, am I missing something?"</p><p>Suddenly, my father looked up. Even though I was in a ghost form, he still seemed to be looking directly <em> at </em> me rather than <em> through </em>me. He walked towards me, leaving the younger version of me and my mom. "It's good to see you again." He said, kneeling to stick a hand in the red cloak that was at my feet.</p><p>"What do you mean? I don't understand anything, Daddy. I'm so confused."</p><p>He smiled up at me before standing up, an object clutched in his fist. "Ask Kenna to go into more detail about mixes, you'll understand more. For now," he stood up and faced me, "always remember that we love you very much." He placed the object into my palm and curled my fingers around it. "Take care of this for me, will you?"</p><p>"Will I be holding it when I open my eyes?"</p><p>"Good question. No, you won't. It will be in your left cloak pocket. Although, it may have upgraded slightly since you last saw it." He started walking away.</p><p>"Wait! What is 'it'? What do you mean by it may have upgraded?"</p><p>He stopped, looking back at me over his shoulder. "All in good time, my daughter. All in good time." </p><p>He kept walking away as I felt the pull of the portal behind me. There was nothing I could do as it pulled me back to the first room I came to. I looked around again and a few more portals were added to the portal wall. There were now double the number that there first were. Half of me wanted to stay and explore more, the other half telling me I need to wake up. I listened to the more boring, yet logical, part of myself and woke up.</p><p>✽✽</p><p>Kenna put Elvira down, her weight finally getting to him. "I'm done with this. Caol."</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>"Water ball."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>He looked at him. "Do I need a reason?"</p><p>"Nope. One water ball coming up." He began making it and was done in seconds, Vale coating it with a layer of ice thick enough that Kenna could hold it.</p><p>As soon as it was in his grip, Kenna dropped it on Elvira. "Kenna!" Ackerley called as he ran over.</p><p>Elvira sat up, wiping water off her hair and coughing slightly. Kenna looked at Ackerley, unrepentant. "It worked, didn't it?"</p><p>✽✽</p><p>I became aware of my surroundings again...just as a cold ball splashed onto my face. I sat up, spitting it out and trying to wipe most of it off. "It worked, didn't it?" I heard Kenna say.</p><p>I looked up at him. "I would so kill you right now if I didn't need your help with something."</p><p>"Oh, so scary. I'm shaking in my boots." He mocked.</p><p>Vale stepped over, hovering a hand over Kenna's shoulder. "I wouldn't test her. She almost whacked my head off the last time she used her powers."</p><p>"I actually found the reason for that, thank you <em> very </em> much, Vale." I stood up, shaking out my cloak.</p><p>Remembering what my dad had said, I felt around in the left pocket but felt nothing. "It's just like the old coal." I muttered as I dug around in the right pocket, the one that would have been <em> his </em> left. Finally, I came up with something other than the nightdress. Pulling it out, I almost cursed.</p><p>"What the heck is that?" Vale asked in clear disgust.</p><p>Kenna, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Don't tell me that's what I think it is." He said, practically vibrating where he stood at the thought of what I held in my palm.</p><p>It was a dark, slightly porous rock, most likely obsidian. It felt heavy in my palm yet, it was a good weight. The thing that made Kenna so excited was that it had names carved into it with ice that didn't melt. He seemed to know exactly what it was so I handed it over to him.</p><p>"Yes! Oh my gosh, this is <em> just </em> what I was thinking of! Where did you get it?" He attacked me with his enthusiasm, starting us off down the road again by pulling my by the arm.</p><p>"I don't know what it is, even though you seem to. I got it from my father while exploring my brain. If you can even call it that."</p><p>"Nice. So, this is what is called a mix stone. Yes, another stone."</p><p>"Cute. What does it do?"</p><p>He glared at me. "It doesn't do much. It just tells us who your parents are and what their powers are. In most cases, the mother's power is used to write the names on a substance associated with the father's. For your case, Seymour Fireburn is your father while Kamryn Bayard Fireburn is your mother. It can be safe to assume that your full name is Elvira Fireburn. A very nice name for a mix."</p><p>I nodded. "Could you go into more detail about mixes, ices and fires to be specific? Dad said that you would know what I need to."</p><p>"That's true, I do know a lot about mixes. Once upon a time, I had researched them as a living. So, you are a fire and ice, huh?"</p><p>"Yeah. You said that they are rare and hard to control. What did you mean by that?"</p><p>"Well, think about it. Fire and ice are complete opposites, hot and cold. At one point it was thought that they were incapable of mating and actually producing a child. Many mixes are in danger of tearing themselves apart, especially ones like you. Their power development stages are the most dangerous since that is when their powers are fighting for dominance. This perfectly explains your lack of control over your ice."</p><p>"What also explains it, is that, according to what I saw, I used to be fire."</p><p>He stopped dead in his tracks, Draven bumping into his back. "Come again?" Kenna asked.</p><p>I took off the snowflake locket, struggling to open it. I wanted to see if my suspicion about the 'it' was correct. Once I did, I showed it to him. "There's me, and there's my parents. You can clearly see the red hair with streaks of light blue." I put the necklace back on as we continued walking, slowly migrating to the back of the pack. "What I'm wondering is how I changed from fire to ice."</p><p>He was staring thoughtfully at Ackerley's back, not truly seeing it. "It is possible." He muttered.</p><p>"Explain, please." I said, furrowing my brow.</p><p>He grabbed my arm, dragging me to the front where Draven was. As we passed Ackerley, he took him with us. He pushed me to Draven's other side while he kept Ackerley on his left. "I need a slight detour that could add as much as an hour or two to our journey. My question for you two is, do I just take the girl or does the whole group come?"</p><p>"Where are you going?" Draven asked.</p><p>"I'm going to the Central Library."</p><p>"It's not that far. What do you think, Ackerley? Should we let them go?"</p><p>Ackerley nodded. "I'm fine with it. Kenna can protect them and Elvira can cause damage if needed."</p><p>I pipped up from Draven's right. "I can also accidentally kill Kenna instead of the attackers. Don't try to use a broken weapon, guys."</p><p>Draven pointed at me with his thumb. "She has a point."</p><p>Ackerley shook his head. "Kenna can protect them. Besides, by inviting her to come with him, he is placing her under his protection by law. He has to take care of her. With that logic, they'll be fine."</p><p>Draven nodded. "I agree. You can go, just meet us at the Silver Eagle Inn and Pub by sundown. If you don't, we come after you."</p><p>"Deal." Kenna said before again grabbing my arm and dragging me away from the group. Behind us, I could hear the others asking questions. </p><p>"Where are they going?"</p><p>"What are they doing?"</p><p>"Can I go with them?"</p><p>"Why are they leaving us?"</p><p>They were asking more questions, but we were quickly lost in the crowd that I just now realized had been with us the whole time. Kenna's hand slipped down my arm until he was holding my wrist rather than my upper arm. He dragged me through the crowd, keeping me close or letting me go first in the tight spots. We traveled through the city for about half an hour and in that whole time he never let go of my wrist. We approached a gigantic building which Kenna directed me through as if he owned it.</p><p>We only stopped when we came to a section close to the back. Once we were there, he gently let go of me, placing his hand lightly on my shoulder and his head close to my ear. He was so close I could feel his lips graze my ear as he whispered to me. "How about you sit down at one of the tables, I shouldn't be long. It's cold enough in here that you can take off your cloak without overheating. I'll rejoin you shortly."</p><p>I did as I was told, sitting in one of the chairs in the corner and taking off my cloak. I laid it neatly on the table next to me before idly fishing around in the pockets. I turned up nothing more than the nightgown I had gotten from Akiro's mom. Looking closer, I found one small pocket in the middle of the back. Reaching in, I pulled out a small bag of powder, which I put back for Kenna to look at later.</p><p>Getting bored, I looked around. I was surrounded by books that seemed to be older than my family line, not that I could remember how far back we go. I would have read the one nearest to me but I was afraid of breaking it if I touched it so I opted for reading all the titles, counting as I went. I had reached at least two hundred before a heavy book was placed on the table and Kenna sat in the seat beside me. I quickly brought my head back to its natural position, having had it tilted back to read the higher titles.</p><p>Unfortunately, I had moved too fast and pulled a muscle slightly. "Ouch." I muttered, discreetly rubbing it.</p><p>He chuckled. "Yeah, that hurts. Anyways." He sobered within a second as he reverently placed a hand on the book in front of us. "This is the Book of Mixes. Centuries ago, a brilliant scholar brought all known information about them and put it into this book, adding his own notes in the margins or even within the text. I used to study this for hours on end every day when I was still a child."</p><p>As he was talking, he carefully opened the cover and flipped through the contents with confidence. He knew exactly what he was looking for and went straight there. My eyes were focused on his hands the whole time. They were slightly rough from recent physical labor but looked like the hands of a scholar, which he had been. </p><p>His fingers suddenly came up to snap in my face, breaking me out of my study of his hands. "Found it." He muttered as his other hand scanned down the page.</p><p>I leaned a bit closer so I could look over his shoulder. "What does it say?"</p><p>"It talks about a mix switching power. Here it is. 'A true mix can switch powers as many times as they want.'" He read off. "'Yet, they can only switch between their parents' powers. There are two ways of doing it. The first yet least common is that a traumatic event must take place in their life. The second and more common but still slightly more rare than mixs themselves is that they can train their mind to change between powers. This is easier done if both parent powers are of equal strength, light and shadow as example.’” He looked up at me. </p><p>"What does that mean for me?" I asked.</p><p>He sighed, both of us leaning back in our chairs. "It means that you must have switched powers, simple as that."</p><p>"But how? I don't remember any traumatic event, unless the tree counts but I don't remember that, and I think I would remember if I had trained my mind to do it."</p><p>He snapped his long fingers. "There is a way. Back to the depths of the shelves." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"</p><p>"Wait, you want me to come with you this time?"</p><p>He nodded, his gummy grin on display now that he was in familiar territory. "The last time I wasn't sure how long I would take. This time, I know exactly where this book is since it's seldom used."</p><p>I nodded in excitement as I eagerly put my hand in his. "Sure, let's do this."</p><p>He pulled me up, grabbing my cloak from the table and handing it to me to hold while he carried the Book of Mixes. He led me through the labyrinth that is the bookshelves, heading deeper into the Library. I smiled at how he nodded to the few bookworms that we passed, wizard and actual worm. Fascinating creatures, bookworms. I may need to look up more about them later but for now, Kenna stopped. I almost bumped into his back, he stopped so abruptly.</p><p>He turned around. "Sorry about that, but we're here." He moved to the side for me to see a large bookcase. </p><p>Somewhere along the way, he had disposed of the Book of Mixes so he was able to scramble up the ladder like some sort of spider monkey. I took a few steps back while looking up in order to keep him within my sights. He stopped at one shelf and slowly scooted the ladder to his right. I could see his hand moving along the spines, reading each one he came across until he finally pulled one out and practically flew down to the ground.</p><p>"Found it!" He said, holding it up in the air.</p><p>I looked at it, then back at him. "What am I looking at?" I asked.</p><p>He frowned, slowly lowering the ancient book back to his side before clasping it in both arms. "Vale's right. You can be rude." His lower lip came out slightly in a mock pout. </p><p>"I'm sorry, I don't have a filter and I really want to know what I'm doing." I spoke honestly, trying to get back on his good side.</p><p>He nodded, transferring the book to one hand so he could hold the other up in defeat. "Alright, alright. No need to get touchy." </p><p>He led the way back to the table, placing the book on the surface before seating himself again. He gestured for me to sit down. I did so, again leaning over his shoulder. Just as before, my eyes were captivated by his hands as they sped through the book, this time pausing every now and then to scan a certain page before going back to flipping. His hands once again stopped at a specific page before he turned his head to look at me.</p><p>"Right here." He said, pointing at a paragraph. "It says," he turned his head back to read it outloud but still quiet. "'To train one's mind to conquer their powers, one must have a high IQ. They must also have patience and endurance. It will take time. If they try hard enough, a mix has the ability to change between their parent powers. Not only will their power change, but also their hair. It is most wise to have a spare cloak that corresponds to that power to make for easier switching. Depending on the experience level of the mix, it can take from two minutes to two hours to change powers.' It goes on to describe how you are able to change. Do you want to try it, see if any of the steps seem familiar to you?" </p><p>"Heck, yeah I do. If it means figuring out which power I can control better, fire or ice, then I'm willing to try. Where do you want to do it, just in case it gets ugly."</p><p>He thought for a minute before grabbing my wrist and dragging me from my seat, him picking up the book while I grabbed my cloak. I got tired of carrying it around, so I tied the sleeves carefully around my waist. Eventually, Kenna stopped just long enough to push open a door before continuing onward. We came to another halt as we were faced with yet another intimidating piece of wood. He pushed it open with his shoulder, gesturing for me to go first. I gave him a quick mock curtsy before going in. </p><p>I was met with a large room that matched the imposing door we had to get past. It seemed like it was an abandoned ballroom, which is crazy since this is a library. Kenna came up behind me and guided me over to a table with a hand on the center of my back. "Yes, this is a ballroom." He muttered into my ear as he placed the book down and turned it back to our page. </p><p>I moved to face him. "Can you read my mind now?" I asked sarcastically.</p><p>He smirked. "No. It's just what everyone thinks when they see this room." He turned to survey the grand room, his hands clasped elegantly behind his back. "The Central Library used to be a palace until a stupid king decided to make a new one in a different spot, close to the city wall. Not easily defended. The old palace became the Library, only a few modifications necessary. Most of the bedrooms were converted into sections of the library while a few remained bedrooms for the librarians. This room did not have a purpose in the new library and was easily forgotten. Now, shall we start?" He turned, cloak flaring slightly as he strode back to the table.</p><p>"You know, you do cut a very dashing figure." I muttered.</p><p>He turned to me, smirk still in place. "My thanks, I do try."</p><p>I waved a hand at him, trying to appear nonchalant. "Just read the first instruction."</p><p>He chuckled. "Sit in the center of the room and close your eyes. You have to trust me for this."</p><p>"Surprisingly, I do." I said over my shoulder as I unhesitatingly made my way to the center, laying down.</p><p>I once again heard his chuckle. "I said <em> sit </em> , not <em> lay down </em>. Up, please, Elvira."</p><p>I sat up, eyes still closed. "I'm ready."</p><p>I heard the sound of his boots against the floor, coming in my direction. The rustle of cloth and a small grunt told me that he was sitting in front of me, the book most likely on his lap. "Alright. Next, you have to reach into your mind. Back to where you had gone in the backyard. But first, I want to know if you had heard anything we had been saying when you had gone there."</p><p>I shrugged. "I don't really remember. I was more focused on figuring out what the place was. Can you go ahead and give me the step after that, just for good measure?"</p><p>"You need to find any memories of using the other power, in your case it's fire, and see if you can call it. I recommend the simplest trick, a small flame dancing above your palm."</p><p>"Nice. Simple, yet elegant. I like the way you think, boy."</p><p>"One, I'm older. Two, just do it."</p><p>"Alright, grandpa."</p><p>I reached inside my mind for the second time today, finding the string easily. I tugged it, allowing myself to be pulled back into my mind's room. Instead of looking around, I headed straight for the fire wall. Scanning the portals, I grabbed a ladder that was nearby and propped it up. The twenty that I had last seen were still there, along with three more. Looking at the new three, I saw myself playing with the flames in the middle one so I decided to touch that one, instantly getting sucked into the memory.</p><p>Unlike last time, I was actually seeing this as first person rather than seeing myself. It may have been that I had only heard stories of that memory that it had turned into a half memory. Anyways, I looked around, not disrupting the scene. I reach into the thoughts that came with the memory, thoughts that are strangely clear. I see how I am forming the fire on my palm and memorize it, committing it to my current memory and making sure that I have it down before I pull back.</p><p>I open my eyes to see the ballroom, now slightly darker yet lit by candles. "How long?" I asked.</p><p>"About an hour, maybe longer. We have another three-quarters of an hour to meet the group at the Silver Eagle." Kenna was still sitting in front of me. I could now see that he was sitting Indian style with the book closed and off to the side. "Now," he said, "let's see what you've got. Your hair changed, that's for sure."</p><p>I pulled a lock over my shoulder and found it to be an almost strawberry red with streaks of light blue running through it. It must have been stunning. Focusing on my palm, I thought back to how I had seen myself do it in my memories. I called the fire from within me rather than the ground like the ice. It easily came and stayed controlled in my hand. </p><p>I looked up at Kenna in shock. "Cool!" </p><p>"No. Fire is hot, not cold. Ice is cold. Did you mess up your head in there or something?"</p><p>I let the small flame dissipate before pushing his shoulder. "Brat."</p><p>He gently pushed my shoulder back. "Rat."</p><p>It became a shoving war, both of us taking turns hitting the other's shoulder and saying a playful insult. The game didn't last long as we both soon grew tired of it. Kenna eventually stood, helping me to my feet before allowing his eyes to scan my figure. I gave an exaggerated twirl.</p><p>He smirked slightly. "You should probably let me put your cloak in one of my pockets. It's safer for a person to walk around without a cloak than with the wrong type."</p><p>I agreed, handing it over. "I will get it back once we rejoin the others, right?" </p><p>"Yeah, sure. Let's go." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the ballroom, depositing the book on a cart filled with similar ones before we made our way out the door. </p><p>"What is it with you dragging me around?" I muttered. "Is it fun for you or is it instinct?" I liked the way it made me feel cared for so I wasn't complaining, simply asking a question. </p><p>"Hmm?" He looked back at me, then down at his hand on my wrist. "Sorry." With one fluid movement, he moved his hand from clutching my wrist to intertwining his fingers with mine, holding my hand. "This better?" </p><p>I sighed, giving up on him. After a half hour straight of sitting cross-legged on the ground, it felt good to be walking. I surveyed my surroundings, looking at the tall buildings around us. There were people everywhere with all different cloaks. I saw the colors that I had become accustomed to: red for fires, green for earths, brown for healings, dark blue for waters, yellow for lights, grey for shadows, and light blue for ices. Mixed in with that are crème colored ones that seemed to be in constant movement, obviously winds. </p><p>The animals were the most interesting to see. They had cloaks that looked like animal skins, which I guessed told of a specific type of animal while there were others who simply had a bright orange. The mixs seemed to get the most fun with theirs. Some had it like stripes, others had solid halves, still others had it as their dormant being spots on their dominant background. I wondered how many of them decided to keep their second power hidden and walk around with a normal cloak. </p><p>My attention focused back on Kenna, his dark red hair that just barely brushed the tops of his eyes and the back of his neck, his shoulders that were almost as broad as Ackerley's. Now that I was walking next to him, I could see that I came up to his shoulder. He wasn't as tall as the others, about average height for a man.</p><p>"Enjoying the view?" Kenna's voice broke me out of my revery.</p><p>"I might be." I teased back.</p><p>He chuckled, briefly squeezing my hand. We kept walking for a while, staying on main paths, until we came to a part of town that seemed cozier than the rest. As if less crime went on here, if that's even possible. It looked friendlier, that's for sure. Nestled between a cobbler and cloak maker was the Silver Eagle. It had a beautiful sign above the door, proclaiming what it was. Kenna pushed me over to a side alley before turning me around to face him.</p><p>"How about we have a bit of fun shall we?" He asked with a wicked grin.</p><p>"How?"</p><p>"I give you back your cloak and you keep the hood up until we get to their table or room. Before we go in, we can stop off at the cloaker and get you a red one. I'm definitely <em> not </em> letting you use mine."</p><p>I shrugged. "I'm game for both. Also, don't get so defensive of your smelly old cloak anyways. As you said, you're older than me, you never know how much junk you have stuffed into the pockets."</p><p>He gently whacked the back of my head before walking out of the alley, me on his heels. It took us about a quarter of an hour to get the measurements for the new cloak and for me to pick the shade of red. The cloaker had assured us that we could pick it up in the morning.</p><p>It took my eyes a second to adjust to the dark interior of the pub part of the Inn and Pub. I had retrieved my ice cloak from Kenna and now needed to endure the chilly atmosphere within it while we tried to find the others. They were hiding at the back of the pub, a few already having mugs of beer. I laughed when I saw that Vale was stuck with lemonade. </p><p>"Pull up a chair!" Akiro said as soon as he caught sight of us.</p><p>I had my hood up so I just nodded as I sat between Vale and Kenna. "Do you want anything?" Ackerley asked.</p><p>"Maybe food and a lemonade." I replied.</p><p>Kenna nudged my arm, leaning over to talk to the others. "Says the girl who just laughed at the youngest for having lemonade."</p><p>I pushed him away. "That's different."</p><p>"How so?"</p><p>"He's <em> male </em> . It's expected behavior for him to have beer. I, on the other hand, am <em> fe </em>male, meaning that I'm expected to have a lady-like drink."</p><p>"Then someone get the girl a glass of wine." </p><p>I chuckled. "Very funny, grandpa."</p><p>He scowled. "I don't even know how old you are but you shouldn't disrespect your elders."</p><p>"Ha! For all we know I could be the eldest at the table, so shut your mouth, young man."</p><p>Beryl burst out laughing at my statement, almost falling out of his chair if Caol hadn't grabbed him and shoved him back. "It seems that you two have gotten close in the space of your two hours together." Draven observed.</p><p>I looked at Kenna. "We found mutual subjects, yes."</p><p>"Really?" Vale said. "Name three?"</p><p>Kenna smirked. "One, we are both sarcastic."</p><p>"How is that a 'mutual subject'?"</p><p>Kenna continued as if he hadn't heard him. "Two, we have found a mutual love for all things relating to books."</p><p>"Well, you know I'm an avid reader, Kenna." Beryl said. "You could have come to me if you wanted to talk about books."</p><p>He again ignored the interruption. "Three, we both like a certain subject that would not appeal to Beryl. Shall we show them, Elvira?"</p><p>I nodded. "Now, or later?" I knew he wanted me to do it now, I just wanted to keep them in suspense for a little while longer.</p><p>Ackerley leaned forward. "Now you have to show us." He said before Akiro pulled him back in his chair.</p><p>"Alright, give me a second." I said, motioning with my hands for them to settle down. Kenna nodded at me as I slowly pulled my hood back before letting it fall to my shoulders, exposing my new hair.</p><p>"Nice!" Akiro yelled as he leaned forward, gathering a few stares from surrounding tables. "You got your hair dyed! Although, you missed a few parts." His face turned serious as he studied the 'missed' parts.</p><p>I giggled. "Akiro? Never grow up."</p><p>"You see," Kenna said, "I've been telling him the complete opposite since I first met him. Now, you're just ruining my hard work."</p><p>"Like you were getting anywhere with the three year old." Vale mumbled before taking a sip of his lemonade.</p><p>While they were busy arguing, either Ackerley or Draven had ordered food and it arrived as they were still debating on whether to let Akiro grow up or not. I left them to their talk while I dug in, not having anything since breakfast this morning and it now being evening. Kenna was eating calmly beside me while still talking with the others.</p><p>Once we were finished eating, Draven cleared his throat. "Alright. I have a few important questions before we go to our rooms. Elvira, are you comfortable with sleeping in the same room as us or do you want your own room?"</p><p>I smiled at their care of me. "I think I would feel safer in the same room as you guys."</p><p>He nodded. "Good. Now, since they only allow four to a room and we have eight, who wants to room with who?"</p><p>The debate for rooms went on almost as long as the Akiro's age one did. It was eventually decided that Ackerley, Beryl, Caol, and Vale would share one room while Kenna, Draven, Akiro, and I would get the second room. Draven had already rented the rooms, so we all just went up and said goodnight at the doors. </p><p>I found a way to hang my cloak in the corner in a way that would allow me to change without the others seeing. I stayed there until they said I could come out, them having finished changing as well. Most of them had changed into what looked to be thin shirts and pants but Akiro didn't even bother with the shirt. I giggled at him and his cheeky grin before putting my cloak on the ground, inside facing the floor, so I could use it as a mat. Laying my head down, I felt something slightly poking into my arm. Looking at it, it was the bag. I pulled it out and turned to look at Kenna, who was already asleep. I shook my head and put it back, determined to ask him tomorrow. That night, I fell asleep to the comforting sound of the others' breathing.</p><p>Day 3</p><p>I woke up the next morning feeling a bit disjointed with the world. The others were still sleeping so I quickly got dressed, eyes still trained on the sleeping forms of the three grown men. I smiled as I saw that Draven had laid in front of the door, ready to use his shadow powers to defend us if needed. I then frowned as I realised that the door opened inward, leaving me with no way of seeing if the four boys in the room next door were awake. I leaned against the wall, tapping lightly. Surprisingly, someone tapped back. </p><p>I whispered the first name that came to mind. "Caol?"</p><p>"Wow, the walls are thin." I had guessed wrong, it was Vale. "Also, good morning, Elvira."</p><p>"Morning, Vale. Are the others up or is it just us?"</p><p>"Um, I don't know."</p><p>"Sorry, did I wake you?"</p><p>"Nope." Even so, it didn't sound convincing.</p><p>"Sure. You do realize that you have a slight hitch to your voice and it goes up when you lie?"</p><p>"As well as when I sing, but that's irrelevant."</p><p>"Now I'm curious. Can you sing without waking the others?"</p><p>"I can sing while waking them, they need to get up anyways."</p><p>I laughed, putting a hand in front of my mouth to keep it down. "I can't stop you, go for it. Just, don't wake the guests on your other side."</p><p>"Shoot, I forgot about those guys. Oh, well, let's get the others up." </p><p>I heard him start singing. I have no idea what language we are using since I instinctively started using it, but he swapped to a different language that was beautiful in the way it flowed off his tongue and out his mouth. It was soothing while being totally foreign to me. Soon enough, I heard Caol start shouting before Vale shushed him. Caol seemed to be in the same language as Vale was because I have no idea what he was yelling. Eventually, once he was calmed down, I could hear Caol sit down on the other side of the wall. </p><p>"Good morning, Elvira." He said.</p><p>"Morning. What did he do, freeze you?"</p><p>"Yeah, was I too loud?" I could imagine him rubbing the back of his neck.</p><p>"A bit. I didn't mind it, but I can't say the same for the neighbors. What was that you were speaking with Vale just now?"</p><p>"Well, that's a language that all of us know. Do you want to learn it?"</p><p>"Sure. Maybe you could teach me a bit at breakfast?"</p><p>"Fine with me."</p><p>I had my head leaning back against the wall, eyes closed as I conversed with the other side. My head shot forward and my eyes flew open when a weight suddenly found its way onto my lap. I held the back of my neck in pain while looking at the red mop of hair attached to the person who's head currently occupied my lap.</p><p>"Kenna, what are you doing?"</p><p>"You guys are so loud. Also, you really need to stop moving your head so fast. Ask Ackerley to deal with it later. For now, shut up."</p><p>Another tired voice joined us from the other room. "Good morning, Kimana, Kenna." </p><p>"Morning, Beryl." I said. </p><p>Absentmindedly, I started to run my fingers through Kenna's hair, only realizing it when he nuzzled my hand. "Sorry!" </p><p>He chuckled. "Just keep going, it feels good." I did as requested, Kenna being in a talkative mood. "I blame this on Beryl."</p><p>"How so?" He piped up from the other side. "Wait, what is getting blamed on me?"</p><p>"Me turning into a half cat." Kenna retorted. He once again nuzzled my hand, this time placing his own on top of mine and moving it until I picked up on his intent.</p><p>"Oh. Yes, you can blame that on me."</p><p>"He always wants to be pet if he's had a bad day." Kenna explained.</p><p>"I didn't ask." </p><p>"Sometimes, your body language gives you away."</p><p>Draven woke up with a start, muttering something about not breaking something. He looked around and tried to keep his eyes open. He briefly waved at us before collapsing back onto his cloak. </p><p>"Good morning to you too, Mr. Not-a-morning-person." I muttered as I scratched Kenna behind the ear.</p><p>Kenna actually giggled. "How long did you stay up, man?" </p><p>"Quite late. Why, is it obvious?"</p><p>"Kind of." "Yes." Kenna and I both answered at the same time, Kenna coming right out to say it as I tried for the nicer approach.</p><p>Draven laughed. "Thanks. You guys are so helpful." </p><p>Looking around the room, Akiro was still asleep while I could hear all the boys from the other room moving around. I felt myself drifting off to sleep again and allowed it to claim me, for some reason sensing that we won't be moving out any time soon.</p><p>✽✽</p><p>Our lives were intertwined from that day forward, we became family. We were all constantly there for each other, backing one another up. It seemed that we took on a moto, just like a band of fighters from old, "One for all and all for one." We were forever there for each other.</p><p>I learned how to control my ice and sporadically changed powers to keep it interesting and the boys on their toes. It was fun watching the others prank each other, even more so when they pulled me into the planning. I found that I preferred ice but loved to use my fire as well. Vale and Kenna taught me how to do tricks with the respective elements. The small bag of powder that I had found turned out to be a color changing powder. If sprinkled on the cloak, it would change it to whatever color I desired. I had fun changing occasionally to the others colors and confusing them.</p><p>The End.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>